Europe’s Oldest Civilization Found

Archaeologists have revealed that they have discovered Europe’s oldest civilization (4800-4600 BC) in parts of Germany, Austria and Slovakia. The unearthed buildings predate the pyramids in Egypt.

Among the items being excavated is a huge series of temples: “The network of temples, made of earth and wood, were constructed by a religious people whose economy appears to have been based on livestock farming.” Wow. I’ve always asked the question of whether or not humans could have evolved and matured as civilizations without some form or concept of religion. This kind of answers it. I guess all people need some idea of a higher power, and that is what helps to guide their lives.

It’s also amazing to think that despite our efforts to modernize the world, that there are still places where history can be discovered. Germany is a fairly traveled and a fairly modern country. If archaeologists can still roam around Germany and find artifacts of unknown civilizations, then there can still be others.

China comes to mind as a country that has been destroying its chances at excavating its buried history. As the country prepares itself for the 2008 Beijing Summer Games, it has found itself in controversy. Beijing is an ancient city with tremendous possibilities of finding historical artifacts. But the government has been razing Beijing’s old buildings to make way for modern buildings. Some of the buildings represent the country’s history and tradition, but the efforts of some to convince the government to spare the buildings went unnoticed.

China is in a unique position to discover and preserve its country’s history. But it chooses to not take advantage of it in order to maintain its course for ascending onto the world stage. The United States is a fairly new nation, and what little history is left from its founding is treasured. But hopefully this new European finding will help open the door for new discoveries.